Hitting home: The nuclear freeze and the defense-dependent economy of Connecticut

This article examines the impact of a nuclear weapons freeze on the economy of Connecticut, which is per capita the most defense-dependent state in the nation. The study first lists the weapons contracts that would be lost to the state in the event of a freeze. The impact of these losses is then examined through the use of an input-output model of the state's economy. The results indicate a disruptive effect not only on military manufacturing but also on the civilian manufacturing and service sectors of Connecticut's economy. The importance of preplanning for a freeze or arms control is examined in the last part of the study, which discusses the process of economic conversion of defense production to civilian manufacturing.     

Participants or Recipients--Disabled People's Involvement in a European Programme

Correspondence to Jackie Powell, Department of Social Work Studies, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton S017 1BJ Summary Drawing on an evaluative study of UK participation in a Europeandisability programme (HELlOS I), this paper explores the extentto which and the ways in which disabled people were-or werenot-involved in the programme as active participants ratherthan passive recipients, at local, national and European levels.The findings presented here draw attention to the differentperspectives of the programme's various stakeholders and arediscussed in relation to two broader themes. The first of thesethemes is the involvement of disabled people themselves in anyprogramme aiming to promote the full participation of disabledpeople in society. The second is the role and value of formalizednetworks as a means of promoting information exchange and learning,as a prerequisite for promoting change in individuals (thatis in day-to-day practice) and change in organizations (thatis service developments). These two themes are pertinent tocurrent developments in social work, with its explicit attentionto anti-discriminatoiy practice and its strong tradition ofvaluing the learning gained from experience.     

Use of the Print Media to Attract "Hard-to-Reach" Research Participants

This article describes the successful use of the print media to obtain hard-to-reach research participants when conventional sampling strategies prove inadequate. For illustrative purposes, the process employed in recruiting a sample of 130 mothers who were voluntarily living apart from their minor children pursuant to divorce is delineated. An analysis of the gain to effort as well as methodological limitations of this strategy are also discussed.     

Safety First: Recognizing and Managing the Risks to Child Participants in Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research

Specialized and up-to-date knowledge is required to identify and manage the risks associated with advanced biomedical research. Additional complexities need to be considered when the research involves infants or young children. In this article, we focus on recent information about the physical risks of pediatric magnetic resonance imaging research and highlight information gaps. With an eye to assisting institutional review boards and researchers, we consider strategies for the management of these risks and formulate key questions aimed at exposing hidden hazards. Institutional review boards should ask these questions, and researchers should bear them in mind as they develop research protocols.     

Marriage motivated population movement in the outskirts of Beijing

An analysis of migration among the rural population of China for reasons associated with marriage is presented. Data are from a sample survey undertaken in the outskirts of Beijing in 1982. The authors conclude that marriage is a major cause of rural-urban migration, particularly among women aged 20-29. They suggest that traditional attitudes toward marriage have helped to reinforce a marriage market in Chinese cities that creates a demand for young women from rural areas.     

Changes in Life Satisfaction Among Participants of Adult Day Care and Their Informal Caregivers

This paper examines changes in life satisfaction among participants of Adult Day Care (ADC) in Manitoba, Canada, and their informal caregivers (where applicable). ADC participants (N = 112) and their informal caregivers (N = 34) were interviewed at two points in time. Data analyses reveal that, during attendance at the program, the life satisfaction of both the participant and the informal caregiver tend to improve. Attempts to predict which participants are most likely to improve, remain stable, or deteriorate in life satisfaction were largely unsuccessful. A smaller group of participants in Winnipeg programs were matched on age, sex, functional disability and illness with two control groups. Analyses reveal improvements in life satisfaction among ADC participants appear to be program effects.     

Treatment Utilization Among Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Participants of Corrections-Based Substance Abuse Programs Reentering the Community

ABSTRACT

This study examines differences in drug use and recidivism outcomes at 12 months postrelease from jail or prison as a function of geographic location and treatment utilization. Participants (N= 700) were previously enrolled in drug treatment during the last 6 to 9 months of their incarceration and were released to the community on either parole or serve-out. Findings from this study indicated that offenders returning to metropolitan areas reported more use of community treatment services following release than offenders in nonmetropolitan areas. Although offenders in both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas who reported community treatment following release were less likely to be reincarcerated, community treatment utilization was not a significant correlate of relapse. Findings are discussed, and future directions include favorable outcomes when community treatment is utilized.     

英国阅读是基础运动的启示

旨在为穷困儿童提供阅读图书的“阅读是基础”运动发源于美国 ,１９９６年在英国登陆。英国的许多基层单位和团体参与其中 ,为儿童的社会教育拓展了广阔的新空间。本文探索了这一运动得以成功的经验 ,可供我国的公益和教育事业以及社区工作者参考。１９６６年 ,美国华盛顿特区一位辅导小学生功课的志愿者Ｍ．Ｃ．麦克娜玛女士（ＭａｒｇａｒｅｔＣｒａｉｇ ＭｃＮａｍａｒａ）开始了旨在帮助贫困儿童的“阅读是基础”（ＲｅａｄｉｎｇＩｓＦｕｎｄａｍｅｎｔａｌ）的活动。经过几年的努力 ,她的个人行动得到了华盛顿地区６０所学校的响应。…     

Building a movement from scratch: environmental groups in the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic’s transition from communist authoritarianism to parliamentary democracy offers a useful case study of the relationship between environmentalism and democracy. More specifically, this study explores the dynamics of environmental group organization in the Czech Republic from 1989 to the present as a way to reflect upon political scientist Robert Paehlke’s contention that the pluralist democracy enhances the environmental movement and vice versa (1989; 1990; 1998). What is found is that while environmental mobilization and organization did indeed increase in the post-1989 democratic era, the movement still has some serious weaknesses and has suffered from abrupt shifts in public support. Thus, while Paehlke’s thesis is essentially supported by the Czech case, we can also see that it certainly takes much more than the mere existence of a democratic context for a vibrant and influential environmental movement to form and maintain itself. Using the U.S. environmental movement for comparative purposes, this study finds that although some important strides have been made, structural, procedural, economic and sociocultural factors have all played key roles in limiting the success of Czech environmental groups.     

The European Court of Justice and the free movement of patients in the European Union

At present, health policy in the European Union (EU) is being developed in an extremely disconnected fashion. EU member States independently develop their own health systems, based on the goals they wish to pursue, without really considering consistency with European Community (EC) law. The impact of European integration is, in turn, mainly indirect and has emerged from European Court of Justice (ECJ) rulings. These rulings have arisen either from considerations in other sectors or through the process of addressing particular issues within single cases, leaving major issues of applicability unresolved. The evolving issue of free movement of patients is instructive. While not completely outlawing the use of a prior authorization system, recent ECJ rulings have radically restricted member States' discretion to determine their own policies by requiring that their decisions be necessary, proportional and based on objective and non-discriminatory criteria. By linking EEC Regulation 1408/71, on which cover for healthcare abroad has been traditionally based, with the free provision of services, the ECJ seems to have created difficulties and important uncertainties for the system of coordination of social security schemes.